Apple Blossoms
by Dark Inkling
Summary: It's been 10 years since Twilight Sparkle left Ponyville to work for Princess Celestia as an apprentice. Don't worry, she's kept in contact with her friends, but, without her in their everyday lives, they've changed quite a bit over time.


Apple Blossoms

By Dark Inkling

_This is a work of fan fiction based on the popular show "My little pony" which I do not own, I do not own any of these characters. __**hasbro**__ does. hooray for them._

Twilight Sparkle sat near her moonlit window, Spike to her side. The past few days had been long, and hard, but Twilight knew an important lesson had been learned over the corse of them. She had been thinking of her reply to Princess Celestia over those troublesome days; and she flip-flopped quite a bit, but she knew she was never to defy the Princess. Princess Celestia always knew what was best for her, and had never steered her down the wrong path.

"Spike, take a letter" She said with a heavy heart as Spike grabbed his quill and parchment.

"Ready when you are," he replied trustingly. Spike knew Twilight would make the right choice, because that's what Twilight Sparkle did. Twilight Sparkle was the most smartest pony Spike had ever known. She always had her priorities strait, and had always been the most level-headed pony he knew. She was the "most" a lot of things.

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight began, slowly choosing her words, "I happily accept your generous offer to become your Jr. Royal Advisor in Canterlot. I am glad to have been a service in the study of friendship, and will have a full report upon my arrival tomorrow evening. It is my request, that with accepting this position that I take the 165th day of each year to visit Ponyville. While I have learned in my studies that you don't have to be near somepony all the time to be their friend, it certainly helps. Your faithful student, and new Jr. Royal Advisor, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight paused, eyeing Spike's solemn face as he wrote the letter. Noticing that she was looking, he asked, "Is that really what you want, Twilight?"

Eyes glistening with tears, Twilight answered, "Yes." She paused, to let out a few small sniffles, secretly wishing she could hold them back; She had to stay strong for Spike, he was just a baby. And so she poised herself, collecting her emotions, then continued, "The Princess says she's learned all she can about friendship, and she's offering me a position I can't really refuse either. I know she's not going to force me, but if I don't take this position she may no longer consider me as her protégé. She could kick us out of our library, or banish us, or send us to the moon. It's my duty to trust her judgment, and as long as I can keep in touch with my friends, than its okay."

Spike still looked uneasy as Twilight Sparkle nodded for him to send the letter off. "But," he whimpered, "What about Rarity?"

"Oh, Spike," Twilight said with a slight glimmer of hope in her eye starting to grow, "You and I both know we can't keep her out of Canterlot!"

Spike took the letter, and in a green puff it was gone. He'd actually probubly see much more of Rarity in Canterlot than Ponyville, Rarity was the type of pony who would make any excuse she could to visit. "I hope your right, Twilight."

"I always am. Trust me on this one, everything's going to be fine!"

And with that, Spike burped up a new piece of parchment, unfolded it, and read it aloud, "a hem hem, Dearest Twilight, Your leave on the 165th day of each year is granted, and your friends may visit you as much as they wish during your stay with me in the castle. See you this evening, though Luna may be the one to greet you, Princess Celestia."

Twilight and Spike both looked pleased at this, and would then pack up their things and say their goodbyes in the morning. Neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring, but were starting to become excited when they thought of their lives back in Canterlot.

*~10 YEARS LATER~*

The autumn leaves were just starting to fall off their trees, creating small piles for the younger fillies to stomp through. The wind was rough, and Apple Bloom's normally tidy mane blew about as she walked towards the schoolhouse. She had one week left of her classes, and then she was done with school altogether. Some of her classmates would continue their apprenticeships, while others, like herself, would simply settle for moving into their own homes with the money their families had saved for them.

Apple Bloom was already dreaming of her own place – which was a quite cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest. She was fond of it, and remembered when the Pegasus pony, Fluttershy, had lived there. She remembered when she would spend nights under her care, and the mischief that her and her friends would find themselves in. The memories faded as she approached the red brick building. Now was not the time to dwell on the past.

Scootaloo had already parked her scooter nearby, with two helmets hanging from the handle bars. Part of Apple Bloom wondered who Scootaloo had ferried to school today, but it was no matter – they would be replaced in about a week anyway. Apple Bloom always wondered what had come between them, she reckoned they just grew apart over the years.

Up the path aways, walking towards the building she saw them. The group that once teased Apple Bloom for her "Blank Flank" was increasingly growing. Who could blame them? She was going to be the oldest pony in pony-history to graduate without one. She had come to terms with her flank shortly after Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo got their cutie marks… when they were 7. Yet still she was teased for it, and the ring-leader was still Diamond Tiara.

Apple Bloom quickly ducked into the school to avoid them, but it was too late. The pink mare had already spotted her from accross the yard, and started alerting the other nearby ponies of her arrival.

"Hey Blank Flank!" Diamond Tiara called to her from a distance, "Get your cutie mark yet? No? How embarrassing!"

Diamond Tiara's mare-friend Silver Spoon, piped up, "I would just die without my cutie mark!" looking towards her flank, as if to reassure herself that the spoon on her flank didn't suddenly disappear .

Then came out the icing on the cake, Diamond Tiara nudged a small filly forward, "Go on, Silver Tiara."

The filly was a mix of grey and pink, with no cutie mark yet. Everypony anticipated it would be a mix of Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's mark, but no pony could be sure. Some secretly hoped that the filly would get a different mark, one that resembled her unknown father's. No Pony knew who the father was or whose filly it actually was, and no pony dared ask these questions aloud. As far as everypony was concerned, Silver Tiara had just appeared one day out of no where.

Nervously, Silver Tiara said "Blank. Flank." They were teaching her the essentials in life, Apple Bloom thought to herself, as she turned to ignore the lot of them.

"Oh, Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara said loudly enough for Apple Bloom to hear, "Daddy found us the most wonderful cottage!"

Silver Spoon looked intrigued, "oh, that run down old cottage by the Everfree Forest?"

"Oh! You remembered, didn't you! Don't worry, we'll plow most of it down."

And, with that, Apple Bloom's heart sank. She knew they only wanted it because she was stupid enough to mention it in her post graduation plans that she was quite vocal about. She didn't always have to get what she wanted, and in fact these past few years had been going down hill for her. Her Granny Smith passed on, and her sister Applejack had gone to help manage Flim Flam Farms, leaving her with only Big Mac on Sweet Apple Acres. Given, her extended relatives helped with harvest time now, and Applejack DID send a lot of money back to them so they could afford farm hooves, but it wasn't the same.

She remembered growing up without anypony to look up to. Twilight left town when Apple Bloom was only 6, but Apple Bloom knew how well she managed everypony in Ponyville. Shortly after, the other grown ponies that helped to raise her slowly left: Rainbow Dash had gotten accepted by the Wonder Bolts, Rarity now had a booming business in Canterlot, and Fluttershy was called into Royal Duty.

Perhaps, Apple Bloom thought, Rainbow Dash leaving is what drove her and Scootaloo apart. That's when things started to go downhill for her, when everypony else's dream came true.

She did still have one friend in her life: Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Bell had always been there for her, despite her being overwhelmingly accepted by everypony. That started, of coarse when she got what was declared "the most beautiful cutie mark any pony had ever seen" by nearly everypony in town... the day she discovered her voice.

Apple Bloom looked for her friend, but, she had not arrived yet. That's what she got for coming to school early all the time, lonesomeness. There had to be something she could do, something had to be done. Apple Bloom couldn't allow anypony to level her dream home. Apple Bloom had had enough.

Just as she was opening her mouth, the purple mare, Ms. Cherrilee, walked onto the schoolyard. She always seemed oblivious to the teasing, and today was no different. She was followed by her two teachers aides, Snips and Snails. Snips had matured quite a bit over the past years, making him an eligible colt, despite the fact that he was still unpopular. His best friend, Snails, however, seemed to have grown into more of a socialite over the years, and everyone loved him. It was too bad that Snips pretty much controlled everything that he did.

Apple Bloom watched as Cherrilee shooed Scootaloo and her crowd of groupies from the inside halls, class would be outside brightened Apple Bloom's spirits in a heartbeat - she hated being couped up for three hours a day in that brick building.

Sitting close to the front of the school, close to where Ms. Cherrilee was standing, she turned all of her attention to her, time to focus on studies. Her heart bounced a bit when Snips and Snails both took their seats.. right next to her, for the first time since Kinder garden. Actually, thats the closest she had been to any pony in a long while. She sat by herself, ate by herself, and studied by herself most of the time.

She tried to resist staring. "Uh, Hi" she said to Snips, who was directly next to her.

"Hey, there, Apple Bloom" he replied happily, "Hows it goin'?"  
>"" Snails said, almost at the same time as his friend spoke.<p>

"Ah'm doin' fine, an' you?" It had been awhile since she had really talked to anyone, but it seemed to be going well, as Cherilee began her lesson plan on early Pony Political Relations. Apparently Discord first started to dislike Princess Luna over a pickle. Amazing.

After sitting through much of the lesson, and adding her own commentary to Snips and Snails, Apple Bloom was ready to ask them to hang out with her sometime. She was going to do that. She would make more friends, more friends to back her when she was being teased, more friends to support her, and more friends to... be friends with. Maybe she was jumping the gun a bit, but that was okay once and awhile, right? AJ would be proud.

Just then, Sweetie Belle pranced in.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle," Miss Cherilee said flatly, "You're int erupting, again."

"Sorry, Miss Cherilee."

"And What brings you to grace us with your presence today?"

"Actually," the white mare said in a sweetest voice, "I need to talk to Apple Bloom. Now."


End file.
